1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Göteborg (FUA)
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Projekt Seminarieparken
Short description of the intervention
An old park in Gothenburg was renovated to become "the world's best park when it rains" and attract visitors all year round. Rainfall is common in Gothenburg, but more importantly, the amount and intensity of rain are expected to increase in the future due to climate change. Municipal real estate company Higab had the park renovated to make the entrances more accessible and show that the park is open to everyone. A few rain gardens were created to better take care of rainwater, as well as a roof and sculptures interacting with the rain for aesthetic purposes. Additionally, existing plants and trees were cared for, and new ones were planted to create varied vegetation year-round. The area has been a park since 1860, therefore, efforts were made to preserve the historical space, such as using necessary amenities (benches, light sources) as well as improve the ecological function of the park. Special care was taken not to damage grown trees, such as the cherry trees, which blossom in the spring and are a popular attraction [Ref. 1, 2, 4, 5]
Website of the intervention
https://www.higab.se/projekt/seminarieparken/
Principal problems
Climate-Related Hazards
Urban flooding (stormwater)
Environmental Degradation
Biodiversity loss
Land use and Socio-economic change
Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
Inadequate access to recreational opportunities
Implementation area characterization
Climate
Temperate ( Humid subtropical, Hot-summer Mediterranean, Warm-summer Mediterranean, Warm-temperate with dry winter)
Ecosystem
Urban or built environment
Address

Seminariegatan 1A
413 13 Göteborg
Sweden

Location
The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).
Area boundary (map-based)
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
Ref. 2
Area description
Urban (main city)
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Public Greenspace Area
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
unknown
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2022
End date of the intervention
2023
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
- To create "the world's best park when it rains", meaning the park can manage rainwater to prevent flooding, and that it should be attractive to visit the park when it rains
- Make the park more visible and accessible, as it is considered a somewhat "forgotten" area [Ref. 1-2, 4]
- Preserve the history of the park by combining history and tradition with new ideas
- Make the park a place for recreation and relaxation [Ref. 1-2]
Key Priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation)
Social Justice and community
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change adaptation
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Habitat and biodiversity restoration
Water management (SDG 6)
Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Environmental education
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Implement sustainable urban drainage schemes to manage stormwater
What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Ecosystem-focused
What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?
Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
Public engagement
Implementation activities and NBS focus
Implementation activities
1. As part of the 400-jubilee celebration, Higab partnered with Rain Gothenburg to plan the park's renovations [Ref. 1, 2, 5]
2. The entrances were renovated to make the park more accessible and welcoming [Ref. 1, 2]
3. New plants were planted, and existing ones underwent cutting and maintenance in order to create varied vegetation all year round. The use and size of machines during construction were limited to protect the existing trees and not cause compaction of the soil [Ref. 1-3]
4. Implemented elements that interact with natural water, including a couple of rain gardens to store stormwater and the rain pavilion, which provides shelter and aesthetic appreciation [Ref. 1-4]
5. Added new amenities such as bike parking, benches, bins and better lighting.
6. Create opportunities for learning about plants and nature [Ref. 1, 3]
7. Renovate and open a pond in the park, where water will seep down from the pavilion onto works of art in the pond, which will then be activated by the rain. [Ref. 2]
Type of NBS project
Maintenance and management of urban nature
Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks)
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Blue infrastructure
Lakes/ponds
Green areas for water management
Rain gardens
Sustainable urban drainage systems
Parks and urban forests
Large urban parks or forests
Amenities offered by the NBS
Benches and drinking water stations
Cultural (museum, concert areas)
Complementing infrastructure (bathrooms, café)
Design elements for well-being
Visual elements (e.g., expansive views, scenic views, natural light, diverse vegetation)
Tactile elements (e.g., natural materials like wood or stone, exposure to sunlight)
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Flood regulation
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Inspiration for culture, art and design
Recreation
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Beneficiaries
Demographics in implementation area
Unknown
Socio-economic profile of the area
Unknown
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Unknown
Primary Beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups
Specify primary beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups: The main goal of the renovation is to make the park attractive to the general population, as it has not been visited much before. The changes being made are to make the park more accessible, visible, attractive, and interesting, year round even when it rains.
Marginalized groups
Unknown
Other beneficiaries
Native plant vegetation
City infrastructure (e.g., reduced flooding, improved water quality)
Governance
Governance arrangements
Government-led
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The municipal real estate company Higab owns the park and led the project. They cooperated with Rain Gothenburg, a project by the City of Gothenburg that was part of the 400-year jubilee celebrations. One private construction company, Anlab, and two architecture firms, Landskapsgruppen AB and GAJD Arkitekter. [Ref. 1, 4]
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders)
Unknown
Uncommon actors ("Missing actors")
Unknown
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Unknown
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Please specify other type of voluntary intervention
One of Higab's three jubilee projects, and a part of the Rain Gothenburt project
Enablers & Barriers
Type of enablers
City network or regional partnerships focused on climate change, sustainability, GI or NBS in the city
Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives.
Rain Gothenburg, a project by the City of Gothenburg, was part of the 400-year jubilee celebrations. [Ref. 1, 4]
Governace and decison-making instruments
Unknown
Arrangements for governance cooperation
Unknown
Barriers
Renovating the park without damaging existing values such as grown trees was said to be a challenge [Ref. 2].
Financing
Total cost
€500,000 - €2,000,000
Please specify total cost (EUR)
1,17 million EUR (12 million SEK in 2022). This refers to the contract with the construction entrepreneur, i.e. the construction cost [Ref. 3]. Information about other costs during the planning phase has not been found.
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
1,17 million EUR
Source(s) of funding
Public local authority budget
Type of fund(s) used
Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Entrepreneurship opportunities
Unknown
Business models
Business models
Green densification model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Water management and blue areas
Increased protection against flooding
Expected increased protection against flooding
Improved stormwater management
Achieved improved stormwater management
Green space and habitat
Increased number of species present
Achieved increased number of species present
Description of environmental benefits
1. Expected increased protection against flooding: The new rainwater system should reduce the risk of flooding.
2. Achieved improved stormwater management: "Specially designed gutters were installed to beautifully manage rainwater runoff." (...) "A specially adapted rain pavilion with water features was included" [Ref. 3]
3. Achieved increased number of species present: "A significant part of the park's vegetation underwent pruning and rooting, while new plantings of fruit trees, lilacs, roses and perennials were established." [Ref. 3]. Tasks achieved: "Planted plants that can complement and create varied vegetation all year round." [Ref. 1]
Economic impacts
Unknown
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved access to urban green space
Achieved improved access to urban green space
Health and wellbeing
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Cultural heritage and sense of place
Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
Achieved protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
Education
Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Safety
Increased perception of safety
Expected increased perception of safety
Description of social and cultural benefits
1. Achieved improved access to urban green space: The new entrances, benches and other elements have made the park more visible and accessible [Ref. 1-3]
2. Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise: The park being more accessible and being welcoming regardless of weather should lead to an increase in visitation and recreation [Ref. 2, 4]
3. Achieved protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure: The historic aspects of the park have been preserved, such as the buildings and old cherry trees, and new elements have been designed to match [Ref. 1-4].
4. Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature: Some educational features about plants and nature have been implemented, although it is not specified what they are.
5. Expected increased perception of safety: New lighting is expected to increase the perception of safety - "Increased accessibility. New lighting is available in different ways with the aim of creating both safety and experiences." [Ref. 1]
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Cost-benefit analysis
Unknown
Transparency
Unknown
Justice
Community satisfaction
Mixed: Feedback and reports show a combination of positive and negative sentiments regarding satisfaction with the NBS project within the community.
Description of locals satisfaction with the project
One debate article criticizes the newly renovated park's accessibility, although increased accessibility was a project goal. The article states that the gravel paths are inaccessible for wheelchairs or strollers [Ref. 6].
Trade-offs & Negative impacts
Social justice and conflicts
Limited access to NBS benefits for certain socio-economic groups
Other
Please specify Trade-offs & Negative impacts Selected
Possibly, limited accessability for wheelchairs and strollers [Ref. 6]
Emphasis of existing social inequalities or injustices
No information reported related to negative social justice-related impacts of the NBS project
Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement
No initiatives or policies were implemented
Unknown
High-quality & Transformative NBS
Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community)
No
Goal setting and impacts delivery
In the planning phase, the project aimed to address issues in all 3 key priority areas, but impacts were not delivered in all three key areas.
Reaching original project goals
Some of the project goals were achieved
Long-term perspective
Yes
Cost-effective solutions
Unknown
Equitable impacts
C. Unknown
Transformative capacity
Ecological change (e.g. ecosystem functions and their distribution)
Technical change (e.g. built infrastructure of cities and their parts, roads, buildings and so on)
Magnitude of change
Reformist: by focusing on addressing underlying drivers of change but failing to address the problem structurally or systemically
Application of lessons learned
Unknown
Perception of Environmental Change
Unknown
References
1.
Higab (n.d.). Projekt Seminarieparken. Accessed on August 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
2.
Hellström, D. (2022). Seminarieparken byggs om – planeras vara klar nästa vår. Göteborgs-Posten, [Source link] [Archive];
3.
Anlab (n.d.). Seminarieparken, Göteborg. Accessed on August 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
4.
Higab (2023). Efter upprustningen: I Seminarieparken är regnet välkommet. [Source link] [Archive];
5.
City of Gothenburg (n.d.). Rain Gothenburg - regnstaden Göteborg som en förebild. Accessed on August 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
6.
Cavanna, J.-O. (2023). Hur tolkar Higab begreppet tillgänglighet?. Göteborgs-Posten, [Source link] [Archive];
Comments and notes
Public Images
A roof with an opening in the middle over a small pond and a few benches, surronded by bushes, trees and lawns.
The rain pavilion which provides shelter and contains art that interacts with the rain
https://www.higab.se/projekt/seminarieparken/
An iron gate leading into the park, where paths, trees and lawns can be seen
The new entrance to the park
https://www.higab.se/vara-hus/seminarieparken/
Indicator
Achieved increased number of species present
Impact evaluation
Moderate
Degree of confidence
Medium
Indicator
Achieved improved access to urban green space
Impact evaluation
Moderate
Degree of confidence
Medium